Chagrin Falls
This small-but-mighty suburb jumped six spots to claim Cleveland Magazine’s Best Place to Live 2025. Chagrin Falls houses a quaint 4,209 residents but keeps a major footprint thanks to a strip of iconic shops and restaurants in its historic downtown.
A reputable school system (No. 2 on our list) and a slight increase to the median home sale price to $625,000 landed Chagrin Falls as our No. 1.
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Rocky River
This suburb defends a top-three spot on our list of Best Places to live, after snagging the No. 1 spot in 2024. It is the perfect package, housing a comfortable population of 21,490. Averaging only a 22-minute commute, no way to work is truly the
long one, and every route is sure to be scenic. Residents can take in lakeside views among almost a dozen parks in this walkable city (94.7%).
Bay Village
Cracking into the top-three after hanging out in the fourth spot last year, this West Side suburb, known for its top-10 school system on our list, also sees its safety rating rise into the top-10. Though it takes a 20-minute drive to find Downtown
Cleveland, it leaves much to do within its own city limits, bursting with lakeside parks, charming houses and eclectic shops and vendor markets. And with virtually every road having a sidewalk (100%), walkability is rarely an issue here.
Pepper Pike
While this suburb fell out of the top 10 in safety, it still ranks high overall, offering a highly regarded and reliable school system (No. 7 on our list) to go with its scenic commutes and fair housing.
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Moreland Hills
This suburb takes safety seriously as it snagged the top spot in back-to-back years for our safety rankings. Along with a top education ranking, it is no stranger to our Best Places to Live top 20.
Bath
Making the most significant jump on our list after ranking No. 17 in 2024, this southside gem can credit its improvement to the median home sale price rising from $449,500 to $550,000 this year. Surrounded by parks and reserves, residents can
comfortably settle down beside acres of natural beauty.
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Beachwood
This spot earns some extra brownie points for its education stats, placing the city fifth overall. This district is applauded for a 94.1% attendance rate in their schools and a 96.8% four-year graduation rate.
Brecksville
This south side abode of 13,656 is one of the safest places to settle down (No. 4 on our list) and has seen an influx of new residents with 152 home sales last year. It also provides 13 total community services, like a free mulch and recycling
program.
Hudson
This outdoorsy town will find many of its 23,007 residents staying active at one of its many parks, and with 245 home sales in 2024, more people are finding out everything this place has to offer. Don’t forget about its respected school
system (No. 4 on our list), which might lead parents and future parents to settle down here.
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Richfield
While the population of this suburb has remained relatively the same, it has seen a small increase in diversity (15.27%) and median home sale price of $518,890. It saw its poverty rate drop slightly to 4.2%.
Hinckley Township
New to our Best Places to Live top 20, this suburb can credit its addition due to ranking 11th on our list in both safety and education. It also has the lowest property tax ($1,500) in our Best Places to Live top 20.
Chester Township
While not neighbors in real life, this suburb is also one of the newest places on our Best Places to Live top 20. Parents are happy with its great school system (No. 6 on our list). New homeowners are taking advantage of its manageable property
tax ($1,780), with 100 homes sold last year.
Highland Heights
Paving the way with 94.2% of roads having sidewalks, Highland Heights maintains an ideal combination of walkable and scenic beauty. Greenery is always on display at standout attractions like StoneWater Golf Club.
Kirtland
After being new to our top 20 last year, this suburb sticks around as it is a standout suburb on the East Side. It keeps things cozy, with a population of just 6,913. Priding themselves on preservation, the town maintained only one environmental
infraction last year, keeping nature hotspots like the Holden Arboretum healthy.
Solon
This suburb can hold up a three-peat in our education rankings with the No. 1 spot for another year, the Solon school system keeps the city a mainstay on our Best Places to Live lists. It also boasts a host of diversity (34.2% minority groups),
heightened by consistently successful home sales (262).
Mayfield Village
This suburb is also new to our top 20, seeing drastic improvements in our safety and education rankings, the latter of which is now ranked No. 17 on our list, moving up nine spots.
Broadview Heights
With a small increase in median home sale price ($385,000), this suburb is used to being in our top 20. Located a quick drive away from Cuyahoga Valley National Park, with more parks and golf courses along the way, this bustling town holds much
to see.
Orange Village
Ranking seventh among the suburban school systems, thanks in part to a 98.0% graduation rate, this town’s performance gets an A in our books. Orange Village is also one of the most diverse suburbs in our top 20, at 33.23%.
Aurora
Bustling with a population of 17,386 and heavy traffic from shoppers at Aurora Farms Premium Outlets, this suburb still manages to be one of our safest and best places to get an education (No. 10 and No. 9 on our list), along with being the most
affluent.
Bainbridge Township
Our last new addition to this year’s top 20, Bainbridge Township, with 140 home sales last year, has an appealing school system ranking No. 12 in our education charts, which is helping its rising population.
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